Chapter 23

The sun was still rising on a silent Sunday morning. The kind of morning when the air felt freshly poured from a pot, and the sun sat haphazardly in the sky, dragging on the moment happily. Jennifer stirred awake to the sound of birds chirping outside her window and the gentle sound of dishes being moved in the kitchen. Jennifer smiled in a half-sleep. Byron was already awake. She stretched upward, taking a seat with the soft, cozy blanket around her; everything felt lighter now since the weekend spent at the cabin: easier, more hopeful. Byron had moved in two weeks before. It was fresh, yet it felt like home. Jennifer got up, slipped on a robe, and padded down the hall. Byron was making pancakes, his hair a slight mess, a tune softly playing on his lips. "Morning," she croaked. He turned around, smiling and holding out a hand. "Morning, beautiful." Without so much as a moment's pause, she stepped into him against his chest. His heartbeat was steady and strong. That sound was, ind